Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, December 29, 2004

A sellout crowd of 5,527, the largest in Spirit history, saw a pre-game ceremony honoring hockey legend Gordie Howe.

The Spirit went ahead 12:12 into the first period when Erik Lundmark scored off a Chris Ferguson pass.

The teams overcame a combined 24 penalty minutes in the first period and 38 in the game.

Former Spirit player Geoff Platt equalized for the Otters six minutes into the second period with his OHL-leading 27th goal.

Both teams had fewer than 10 shots on goal in the third period, and the game remained tied at 1-1.

Following a faceoff in overtime, Borges picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone and shot it through a defender's skates. Borges rushed into the offensive zone, picked up his own pass and backhanded it past Erie goaltender Jhase Sniderman for Saginaw's second victory in three games.

"It was a big goal for the team," Borges said in a quote on the Spirit website. "The crowd was into it all night and we really wanted to get the win for them. I made the move, saw the shot and just went for it."

Spirit goalie Jeff Weber made 27 saves, as did Sniderman.

The Spirit (9-22-1-4) visit Erie (17-11-3-4) for a rematch on Saturday.